I always stay up-to-date on my game releases, but there are also a lot of games that I return to, over and over again. I have a fairly long (and growing) list of games that I replay at least once a year. These are games that continue to be meaningful to me, and I am constantly comparing them to the brand new games that I play each week. And for me, they still hold a great deal of value. Any title that I'm willing to continue to play to this day stands tall even amongst the best modern games.
So, the question is: is this a form of non-nostalgia? It's not nostalgia if I am, in fact, not simply remembering a game that I used to enjoy playing, but am actively doing so, frequently?
Duck Tales Remastered comes out tomorrow, and the reviews are quite divisive, to say the least. Almost all of the reviews make reference to nostalgia. And depending on the tone of the review, will state that one's nostalgia will be either rewarded or punished.
Nostalgia is about someone having a fond memory of an event and a longing to experience again. So, if one continues with an activity, on a regular basis, they cannot feel nostalgic towards it, right?
Duck Tales just happens to be one of the games that play through at least once a year, and having played it within the past couple of months, I can say that it remains one of my favorite games ever! Without any nostalgic feelings towards the game, I feel well-equipped to try the new Remastered version and will judge it on its own merits.
I'm really looking forward to it!
Speaking of games that I play every year, some people have asked me for a list. So here it is. These are the games that I try to play at least once a year (in no particular order):
1. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (100% complete, ~3 hrs)
2. Super Mario World (*96)
3. Chrono Trigger (sometimes NG, sometimes NG+)
4. Final Fantasy III (VI)
5. Super Mario Bros 3 (No warp whistle playthrough)
6. Chip n Dale: Rescue Rangers (~15 min)
7. Duck Tales (best ending playthrough)
8. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time (SNES) (Hard Mode)
9. Super Metroid (Speed run; current best 0:54)
10. Mega Man 2
11. Mega Man 3
12. Mega Man 4
13. Mega Man 5
14. Mega Man 9
15. Mega Man X
16. Mega Man X2 (all Zero parts)
17. Super Mario RPG
18. Metroid Prime (100%)
19. Metroid Prime 2: Echoes (100%)
20. Contra III: The Alien Wars
21. Super Castlevania IV
22. Donkey Kong Country 2 (102%, current best 2:55)
23. Donkey Kong Country 3 (103%, current best 4:02)
24. Startropics
25. Adventures of Lolo
26. Adventures of Lolo 2
27. Kirby Super Star (100%)
28. Final Fight 2 (Hard, true ending)
29. ActRaiser
30. Star Fox 64 (single run, usually middle route)
31. Super Mario 64 (120 Stars)
32. Super Mario Sunshine (Story completion)
33. Super Mario Galaxy (120 Stars)
34. Super Mario Galaxy 2 (242 Stars)
35. Advance Wars: Dual Strike (Campaign + Hard Campaign)
